Chapter 103: Echo’s Consideration

The main hall of the imperial palace was quiet despite the many people coming and going, perhaps due to its weighty atmosphere.

The majestic seat visible only after climbing dozens of steps was the imperial throne, where only the ruler of the empire could sit.

Normally, the Emperor would be seated there, but today was different. A small silver fox kit sat on the chair as if it were its rightful place, opening its small mouth to yawn before speaking.

“It’s quiet.”

The fox looked around the empty hall, saying this despite knowing the Emperor had minimized entry because of its presence.

“Isn’t the chair hard?”

Someone approached and responded to the fox’s soliloquy. He picked up the fox and placed a soft cushion underneath before setting it back down. Then he sat on the floor beside it. Though others would be shocked by such behavior, the man paid no mind.

Leaning against the chair as a backrest, he looked around the hall along with the fox.

“Sitting like this reminds me of the old days. Though you weren’t in fox form then, it was fun and not lonely.”

“Others would think you’re talking to yourself, what was so fun about it?”

“Even if it looked like I was talking to myself, I wasn’t alone.”

At the man’s words, the fox turned its head away.

“Yet strangely, even now with many wives and children, I still feel alone.”

“The ruler of an empire saying such unnecessary things.”

“Is that so?”

The Emperor burst into laughter at Echo’s criticism.

“Meeting my teacher after 20 years makes me feel like a child again.”

“Yes. You’re too old now to act spoiled. You have many gray hairs.”

Echo pointed to the Emperor’s hair.

“I am human after all. Born human, grew up human, and now naturally aging as I grow old.”

“Human life is so short.”

“Only by your standards, teacher.”

The boy who had once by chance picked up a dagger and was chosen by it had become middle-aged.

“Still, I’m glad to meet you again before I die.”

“Tch, you think I don’t know you’re the one who arranged for me to be brought here?”

“Me?”

When the Emperor feigned ignorance, Echo snorted.

“I know it wasn’t by chance that I ended up in Jasmin’s hands.”

As if warning him to stop the pretense, the Emperor quickly dropped his smile.

“Finding it was indeed a chance. I just slightly altered its course so Jasmin would take it, when it seemed headed for the Duke’s house.”

The Emperor explained the situation from back then. After first meeting the dagger and learning from it as his teacher for a time, he returned it to the world for others. When he learned the dagger that had been circulating was seeking a new disciple, he arranged for it to go to Jasmin.

“Was it alright that I didn’t speak to Jasmin at all?”

“That was your will, wasn’t it? Besides, I acted for your sake. The Duke wouldn’t have left things alone.”

Echo narrowed his eyes at the Emperor before closing them.

“And thanks to me, you found a more interesting disciple, so it worked out.”

Though he hadn’t known she would become the Marquis Adrian’s wife, he considered that fate as well.

“So how is your new disciple?”

“She showed me things I didn’t know.”

Echo smiled with eyes still closed.

“After always being the one teaching until now, it was interesting to be on the opposite side.”

How fascinating and marvelous was that other world seen in Bliss’s mind. And to her, this world was a book – that too was quite intriguing.

“Then would you learn from me as well?”

“There’s nothing to learn from you.”

Echo flatly refused, making the Emperor laugh loudly again. When his laughter began to subside, the Emperor brought up what had been weighing on his mind.

“Is it alright to leave things as they are?”

He couldn’t just laugh in good spirits.

“Jasmin has collapsed. Moreover, they’re saying Bliss did it. How could that Marchioness…”

“Leave it be.”

Echo slowly opened his closed eyes. The head chamberlain was entering the hall with quick steps.

“You just watch.”

“It’s cruel to tell the Emperor to do nothing. No, I don’t even expect that. Right now, I could immediately…”

“Wait. That’s all you need to do now. Beyond that is for the children to resolve themselves. Just open the doors again at the right moment. That’s…”

While Echo paused, the chamberlain who had approached suppressed a gasp of surprise at seeing the Emperor sitting on the floor.

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“The people we were looking for have been found in Princess Jasmin’s laboratory. What should we do?”

“…Leave them be.”

The Emperor, who had been quietly watching Echo, commanded heavily. After the chamberlain withdrew with a bow, Echo continued his unfinished words in the once again quiet hall.

“It will be fate finding its proper course after straying from its path.”

That was why Echo had stayed uninvolved and watched Bliss’s situation until now.

Because in the original story she knew, he wasn’t a character who appeared.

***

“Since Caelan can’t come, what will you do now?”

Latte posed the question brightly. Though she asked as if suggesting a casual outing, the situation was anything but light.

“I’ll have to take you down.”

Bliss answered as if it were nothing. If it was just the two of them, well, wouldn’t it be simpler?

“Right. Let’s see you try.”

Latte smiled with interest, readily accepting the challenge. As if waiting to see what would happen next.

Tension that could snap at any moment swirled between Latte and Bliss, and the first to move was…

Latte.

She had only been holding her skirt. But in her hand that had merely been brushing her skirt was suddenly a small pouch, which she threw at Bliss.

Bliss instinctively twisted her body sideways. The pouch that flew to where she had been hit and burst open. The powder from inside touched the nearby bookshelf with a sizzling sound.

When Bliss looked at the bookshelf, the spots where the powder had touched were turning black.

“Poison?”

“It’s the perfect tool to cause you pain without killing you. Right?”

At Latte’s words accompanied by a grin, Bliss glared at her with tense eyes.

“Even so, poison is too much.”

Bliss narrowed her eyes and looked at Latte’s hands. It seemed there was more than one pouch, and she was watching for a chance to throw them.

“You shouldn’t be holding such dangerous things. It’s dangerous.”

Bliss warned Latte while slowly backing away.

“As you can see, there are all sorts of things here. So who knows what might happen when it reacts with the poison.”

“Really? Well, since you’re the one in danger, I don’t care.”

Latte rushed at Bliss, showing no concern.

“You know.”

Only when they were close enough to see each other’s pupils did Latte speak.

“Do you know why I’m acting personally?”

With that, Latte suddenly held a dagger and raised her hand toward Bliss’s face. Ducking to avoid Latte’s attack and retreating backward, Bliss threw whatever book was in reach.

“Because whoever you sent to kill me hurt Caelan?”

Bliss answered as Latte knocked away the book, flinching at its weight, and Bliss created distance between them. If they were close, Latte wouldn’t be able to easily attack with poison, but Bliss didn’t do that.

Mentioning Caelan was to provoke Latte. And the fact that Caelan had almost died because of her did shake Latte’s heart.

“While that incident was regrettable, that’s not why.”

Latte temporarily stopped her attacks on Bliss.

“Hmm… I just wanted to act personally. I wanted to see your despair with my own eyes.”

“Have you forgotten everything you’ve done until now?”

“Well, I did have others do things too. I was very angry then when things didn’t go as I planned, but now I think it worked out well. Because I can kill you myself.”

Latte rushed forward with a bright smile.

From that moment, conversation became unimportant. Latte charged at Bliss as if to kill her, and Bliss did her best to dodge and block.

Princess Jasmin’s playroom was becoming a mess, but their fight only grew more intense. Everything within reach was used in the fight, and now there was no telling what dangerous things might happen.

Bliss urgently bent her upper body and stepped aside before immediately standing to face Latte. Strands of hair flying between them fluttered inappropriately for the situation.

‘This won’t work.’

Though Latte was trying to frame her as the culprit, she was relentless. As if she would make up lies to fit the situation even if she accidentally killed herself.

‘There’s nowhere left to run.’

As she started getting cornered toward where the dangerous collections were gathered, Bliss’s eyes showed anxiety.

“Can you defeat me by just running away?”

As if knowing Bliss’s thoughts, Latte sneered, and in that moment when her eyes flashed, she threw what seemed to be her last poison pouch.